4 Ways to Empower Employees

Imagine a workforce in which employees don’t just punch in and punch out. Instead, they go above and beyond for the company because they feel empowered to do so — and they actually want to.

Most companies talk about uplifting employees and empowering them to be decision-makers. But many miss the mark completely. In fact, a 2023 study found that just 42% of workers had a significant influence or autonomy on how they did their work.

A lack of empowerment not only hurts employees — it also affects the bottom line. 

In this article, we’ll define employee empowerment, describe how it looks in practice, and provide strategies for cultivating it in the workplace.

What are the Benefits of Employee Empowerment?

Creating empowered employees, not just enabling them, might seem like more work for organizational leaders. While that may be true, the benefits far outweigh the upfront implementation efforts.

Here’s how organizations stand to benefit from empowered employees.

• Higher employee retention. Empowerment is one of the top reasons why employees stay with an organization. When workers feel mutual trust and respect from management, they stay longer than at companies that don’t.
• Improved employee engagement and motivation. Empowered employees are more committed to and satisfied with their work and perform better. Trust and autonomy can make employees more willing to put effort into their jobs.
• Better business outcomes. Better employee retention, motivation, and engagement are directly linked to company success. Employees who are engaged and empowered can increase company profits by 21%. Plus, organizations can avoid hefty turnover expenses, which can cost one-half to two times an annual salary.
• Stronger organizational culture. Empowering and trusting every employee to take initiative and make decisions on their own impacts everyone. Research shows that leaders who empower their employees are more likely to be trusted by their subordinates than leaders who don’t.

How to Empower Employees

Now that you’re sold on the benefits, what are the practical steps to empowering your workforce?

Reimagine Leadership

Traditional leadership development focuses on making everyone a manager — though not everyone is interested in that trajectory. Many people never want to go into management, and it’s probably best they don’t.

Instead, empower every employee to become a leader in their own way, even if they’re not interested in managing people full-time. Consider giving them new development opportunities as subject-matter experts. Using our three-As framework, this could look like:

• Authority: Encourage every employee to lead workshops on topics they're passionate about. Or, establish a peer mentorship program where experienced employees are paired with newer or less-experienced colleagues.
• Autonomy: Give employees the ability to select the time and format of their training(s) or even the topic of their mentorship (if they’d like to focus on something specific).
• Access: Provide employees with all the resources they need — like dedicated professional development time, company-sponsored training, on-demand learning opportunities, etc. — to achieve this. Frequently communicate these opportunities to your workforce to ensure adoption.

Create a Company-Wide Culture of Creativity

According to a 2022 report from HR Digest, companies that invested in employee development saw a 58% increase in employee retention.

While leadership development programs are essential, organizations should expand what it means for employees to grow beyond cookie-cutter training.

Google, for example, provides a great example of employee empowerment in action. The company has a 20% rule, asking employees to spend 20% of their work time on any skill-building or innovative brainstorming they think would benefit the company.

Make empowerment a central part of your company culture by fostering:

• Authority: Build empowerment into your organization’s mission by creating a company-wide program (like Google’s!) that encourages creative thinking. Implement it across every department, and even consider making it mandatory. 
• Autonomy: Give employees the flexibility to decide how to spend their time — whether through researching, experimenting (within reason), or even networking.
• Access: Give employees the necessary tools to work independently, like a mobile HR app that lets employees self-manage their time, access important information, and keep in touch with their teams.

Leverage and Uplift Managers

There’s a reason why the phrase, “Employees quit their bosses, not their jobs,” is so famous.

Research shows that managers, who are the first people employees talk to, can make or break their job experience — and even make them leave.

To nail empowering leaders, consider managers’:

• Authority: Encourage managers to involve their teams in setting goals and objectives to foster a sense of ownership and alignment. Plus, clearly define roles and responsibilities and ensure managers understand the importance of their contributions to the organization’s success.
• Autonomy: Assign managers significant responsibilities that impact organizational goals, like identifying top talent, managing budget approvals, project planning, and making personnel decisions.
• Access: Implement a centralized information system where managers can access real-time data and insights related to their teams and projects. Plus, allocate budgets specifically for managerial development, including funds for attending conferences, workshops, and professional memberships.

Delegate

Here’s what most leaders and managers get wrong: They don’t delegate tasks to employees, either out of habit or distrust. But without doing that, employees can’t possibly feel or become empowered.

When leaders delegate tasks, they empower employees and help an organization's bottom line. McKinsey found that decision-making takes up as much as 70% of executives' time.

To delegate tasks, ensure employees have:

• Authority: When delegating, explain the importance of the task, what it means for the organization, and why you’re assigning an employee a specific task (i.e., they have the necessary skills, experience, etc.).
• Autonomy: Trust employees and allow them to accomplish the tasks when and how they want to. Set up times for optional check-ins, but don’t micro-manage.
• Access: Allow your employees to use confidential information, such as documents, data, or contacts (if applicable), to underscore your trust in them.

How Do You Measure Empowerment?

Here's the tricky part: How do you know if your initiatives are making a difference?

Employee empowerment, like any organizational initiative, requires assessment to ensure success. To gauge how empowered your employees are — or aren't — you might ask them questions like:

1. Do you have enough freedom to decide how best to do your job?
2. Do you feel comfortable sharing ideas with managers and colleagues?
3. Does your manager allow you to make decisions appropriate to your role without their approval?
4. Do you have control over your daily schedule?

Send out pulse surveys regularly to measure employee empowerment over time. Monitor how empowerment trends respond to your initiatives.

Empower Employees with Paylocity

The journey to empowerment is an ongoing process that requires attention, measurement, and refinement. Start empowering your workforce today, and watch as your workforce transforms from contributors to change-makers.

With tools like Paylocity’s Employee Voice survey tool, which comes pre-loaded with data-backed survey questions like the ones above, leaders can actually measure empowerment and get actionable insights for improvement.